Handel: Theodora

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Theodora was Handel's next-to-last oratorio, and though it was a failure at its premiere, Handel preferred it above all his others. It tells of the martyrdom of the Christian Theodora (soprano) and her beloved Didymus (countertenor) at the hands of the Romans, with the villainous Valens (bass) in charge. Septimius (tenor) is a sympathetic Roman soldier and Irene (soprano) is Theodora's pious friend. This new recording presents the 3-hour work complete and is simply beautiful: Sophie Daneman sings Theodora's heart-felt arias expressively and with great innocence and lovely tone; Daniel Taylor's slim-voiced but sincere Didymus is effective; Valens's arias are spiteful and aggressive, and Nathan Berg makes a superb heavy; Richard Croft is magnificent in the complex role of Septimius, making his fast, coloratura-filled music sound easy, and Juliette Galstian is suitably devout and attractive of tone for Irene. As usual, William Christie and his Les Arts Florissants are right on the money, playing and singing with verve and commitment. Every so often the chorus (and Galstian) give away the fact that they aren't native English-speakers, but it hardly matters. Those who love Messiah and want to get to know some more Handel will be happy to encounter Theodora. Recommended. --Robert Levine